#LOVING the atmosphere of this wowow

[anosci]

(226-240 albums etc that I’ve listened to this year, copied from twitter) (now with art. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17])

names and thoughts below cut

226/ Rabit - Baptizm (2015) insanely subdued intro not sure about the high pitch aliasing in "Straps" "bloody eye" is pretty wild. really dirty percussion on some warbly synths. i'm marking this as the standout in a cool, moody EP

---

227/ Common Creation - Sunset Seance (2023) lower tempo + breaks on top of a wobby sound. my favorite :D i think this is the type of sound SGX would make if he were active today. big beats, beefy bass, lush chord textures flitting beneath it all. it's a delight

---

228/ VA - Infloresce & Friends Charity Festival (2023) poor "Gentle Leafy Road", cute banger with a late penalty "make it make sense" bbbbbbbbanger "just existing (in a good way)" talk about good vibes wowow. personal winner tho "Together" is a well deserved actual 1st place.

---

229/ VA - YEA VIDEOGAME (2023) as usual, a grab bag. some personal highlights: "coaxed from the ether" beej is kicking ass god damn "cow descent" hmm yes this is bang er. "Skyscraper Playground" yeah!! bounce!! "KirbYEAdventure" i adore how well this captures the CUTE of kirby

---

230/ VA - TINYMOD GRANDPRIX (2023) as usual, mixed bag etc etc. 2 hilights: (4k) "3n14ks24k4u" is insane for its size. basically just a good song in general. (48k) "light dinner 6" !!! the most nagz&vhiiula sounding thing ive heard in 20 years. holy shit!

---

231/ VA - BotB Advent Calendar 2022 (2023) absolute grabbag ofc. ighlights: (c64) "FL Studio SUX" oh holy shit that's a certified BANGER. EZ fav (fakebit) "Rooftop Wealth Gap RPG" hits that midi itch but a little harder. (zxbeep) "Beepbeep Hoedown" astoundingly soft for 1bit wtf

---

232/ VA - Spring Tracks XII (2023) mixed bag ofc. hilits: "Ophanim" ae-esque! twisting and turning and unfolding! slightly too long but like. god damn. "witness protection" gets its title bc all the ppl responsible for this scoring so low are in [title]. "GENERAL SERUM" hey wtf.

---

233/ VA - Winter Chip XVIII (2023) mixed bag etc. personal hi lites: "10 Celsius Winter" crunchy! "not here" spooky wild textures. i love warble. "Echonomicon" basically magic. 90idm hella. "Status Chill" yooooooooooo

---

234/ Aphex Twin - Blackbox Life Recorder EP (2023) the title "in a room" captures the overall vibe of this EP: lax. parallax mix feels the most like an dusty artifact from the archives (in a cool way) kinda loose overall but happy to have another drop of afx

---

235/ Tigran Hamasyan - Mockroot (2015) there's a certain intensity to these vamps. its often followed by serenity. i feel like a picky eater when i say this but i swear some of these songs (f.ex "Entertain Me") would kick ASS with a metal timbre. anyway: "The Grid".

---

236/ Starkey - Odyssey Five (2016) lush, slightly haunting. deeply nighttime music. "Tropical" is a misleading title for a wild and spooky banger. check out those BENDS. probably personal highlight? not to discount the more atmospheric stuff but…

---

237/ Oval - Popp (2016) yeah i guess it is a little more pop, huh. "ku" has the wild soundscape, transient weirdness, and pitch bends that feels 100% like what oval would make in 2016. perhaps fav? id call that a representative track anyway. shoutout to "fu"'s chops as well

--- August ---

238/ Lanark Artefax - Windox Rush (2015) "it's like afx" oh damn it rly is is that detuned chords too??? might just be lush but i think there's detuning here. "The Angel Problem" prolly fav. overall more "chill" than "electro" but still.

---

239/ hizmi - Soak (2021) absolutely unthinkable that this is coming purely from a stock X68000?????? it sounds so full of intention. insane. beautiful. "Rivulet" is just an unrestrained ilkae track like cmon

---

240/ Skee Mask - Shred (2016) smooth like a cold drink. title track "Shred 08" is kind of the outlier, being actually heavy. feels like a melody-deprived version what i expected bblr to be lol sorry rdj. i think the fuzzy clickyness of "HAL Conv." is my fav tho

---

next page

[mochiwrites]

AT YOU, KICKS YOUR DOOR DOWN MOCHI OH MY GOD YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES i love me some character whumping

ANYEWAY OH MY GOD YES! ITS BACK! SONGBIRD AU!!! my beloved. my little criture in a jar. For the spookiest of seasonings. AND its the story whos title made me the most 👀👀👀

Grian's spidey sense for danger and weird and creepy is so. It is. Mmm yes. I could like feel the dramatic zoom in on the doorknob and the atmosphere dlkgaagads. I can see the cinematic shot in my mind. it is everything to me and ITS! THE PACING! IT IS SO WELL DONE!!!

god that wrong wrong wrong wrong wrONG part is going to rattle around in my brain forever.

Also I highkey know nothing about taurtis bc this is the first fanfic ive ever seen him in and i havent watched [or whatever it is you do w] yhs?? idk what it is actually at all. but. 👀👀I like him. I feel like i know enough about him to be thoroughly invested in whats making grians spidey senses throw so FAR OFF INTO THE VOID

Also I love a shopping montage that goes from 2000s teen comedy film to late 2000s summer horror flick wowow. The SHOPKEEPER is so CREEPY oh my GOD. is he meant to be cubs old skin I wonder bc I feel like. you mentioned something about Cub which I will not mention here bc i cant remember if it was a mentioned thing on your blog or in our dms but 👀👀I am Eyeing Him. My Eye is Upon him.

AND THEN THE ANXIETY IN A LEG BOUNCE IS JUST DFKLHHSDG THE UP DOWN UP DOWN UP DOWN IS SO GOOD TO GET THE SENTENCE STRUCTURE FOLLOWING THE SAME BOUNCING!!! AH!!! The way it pinpointed the focus of the entire scene is just. magnidficent. I love it so much.

I LOVE HIM JUST GOING TO MR JUMBO HIMSELF AND JUST BEING LIKE "Nope Im in you dont get a choice hi hello" because. AHHHH yes!!! yes!!!!!!!!! force your way in grian!!!! do it!!!! its gonna make a mess and its PERFECT!!!!!!! esp considering the circus fic comes after that and the published chapter has already made a MESS of grian I am OBSESSED.

I need to watch season 7 I need to consume og grumbot back on your grum and jrum. I want to know about the Son. I feel like I never seen mumbo w like. Kids around. I feel like a lot of the fics I see its like Scar and Grian so im like 👀👀👀look at my mumbo man.

I dont want to call it a bit but its 11 pm for me and my brain cant think of what its actually called so the way the bit dies on Mumbos lips as soon as he sees how upset grian is???? is ???????? I am?????/ yes.

G O D i love this!!! There's like this real heart and soul of 'something deeply serious is happening but theres an adventure here too" that makes me want to gnaw on something I love this so much kdslag

MY DOOR !!!!!! HOW DARE !!!!!!!!

fun fact this was supposed to be the second fic that went up but I finished it first sooooo cbfbfbfgf just in time for spooky season >:3c

I had a Little too much fun writing that door scene omg. I’m really trying to work on my horror writing abilities and building up suspense is always my favorite part !!! repeating phrases <3333

and GOD THE SHOP KEEPER PART !!!! all I will say is: good times ahead ;3

that hospital scene is absolutely one of my favorite bits of writing, For Sure. the build up of anxiety and guilt that grian feels, and it accumulates into him barging into mumbo’s house and yelling at him…. it sets a Wonderful stage for dragging gri in and making a mess of things.

I’m super excited to really start to dig into the lore and the happenings of the situation at hand aaaaaaa !!!! but there’s a journey here and we have to walk that journey with the characters and experience it through their eyes and <3333 it’s gonna be really fun !!!!

[kabutoraiger]

double... whatta tv show!

wowow is usually the place to go for more Artistic dramas but the vast majority of those are like. about crimes or political conspiracies. very interesting to see something like this which has no mystery to solve, no deaths, no corporate sabotage, just a slice of life about two Are They Gay Y/N theatre homies doing acting gigs,

except the presentation here actually isn’t dissimilar from a murder mystery bc the main characters are SO dramatic about their emotions and occasionally unmoored from reality. i would love to see more dramas like this get made where “will these 2 men ever fuck each other” is treated with the same sort of gravitas as finding the killer would be in another show.

i mean just on the basis of production value i’d recommend this show to most people - it’s very atmospheric, well-shot, i especially loved the music used in it which made me feel some kinda way.

it all combines together to really capture the strange mindset of these two people who exist in this like dreamy borderland between their real lives and their entwined identities and their acting. certain scenes actually reminded me of my favorite movie of all time millennium actress, so. bonus points there. i do kinda wish double had leaned into the “boundaries between reality and fiction blurring” angle a little more; i think it could’ve done some wild stuff with that. but as is i still enjoyed what it was going for.

if it has any issues i’d say... the end does feel a bit abrupt. you expect some big final confrontation about their relationship but it all happens inside takara’s weird headspace without the real yujin being present and you kinda feel like you missed a step in the finale and wish you had more of yujin’s actual perspective on all this. but perhaps it makes sense that you don’t get it. maybe even he will never know how he really feels since it’s so wrapped up under layers of Acting Hyperfocus.

i’m still not totally sold on chiba yudai in this. he’s very good as takara, especially his cuter, naive moments, and he is a good crier i’ll tell ya what, but takara is also supposed to be this like enchanting magnetic stage presence in every role he takes and. that part just doesn’t really come across in yudai’s performance. i’m not sure it ever could have come across bc that’s just not the vibe yudai conveys. it does take you out of it a bit.

the other minor problem is the fansubs which are good enough for your average jdrama but. this is not your average jdrama. it’s laden with parallels and subtext and complicated exchanges that even if i was fluent in the language might give me pause, but as someone reliant on subs there were several times when i just couldn’t really grasp what was being communicated at all. (some weird turns of phrase used by the subber too and they get one character’s name wrong every time it’s spoken which was driving me up the fucking wall.)

so maybe only really recommendable to people who don’t mind being a bit confused by media. in the end i found the nebulousness to be more of a pro than a con, honestly. it’s a fun show to sit and think about after you’ve finished an episode. like me going “damn.... being a theatre person seems exhausting”

[yuzukahibiscus]

when asked about “my favourite 3 rei characters” — a very long thesis

rei’s given me an impression of a very carefree person, not too much attention on trends and very compatible with what’s in front of her work. for january 2021, she mentioned that she would want to go to rome because of augustus. for february 2022, she mentioned about learning tap dance. in june graph, she’s practising piano with noa for liszt. all these point to rei being as attached as possible to her characters to fit into the role

yet, by all means, there has to be some that stayed as favourite right? i know we can infer from otome each year, but i choose the three for the following reasons.

vladmir - nocturne (2014)

there’s truly a sentimental value in your first bow hall lead. in january 2021 new year show, she still chose nocturne’s song to zinaiida as one of her top 3 fav songs in her Otakara playlist, because it “reminds her of the simplicity in acting” as a Ken-6 which doesnt need to much thought for an 18 y/o Vladmir. in 2017 brilliant dreams stage, vladmir makes rei being associated by the audience with the colour white, which makes her happy because white is “*when it’s raw and original without any flourish of acting” (making this her first main trait of acting: purity) so it’s just a simple-minded boy that ken-6 rei has to act as. from the four ty speeches i’ve translated, she must rmb how it’s like to first receive stage attention as a performer but also being humble as a Hanagumisei in 2014, 100th anniversary which she acknowledges everyone’s part to play in including herself. the first lead role is always the most memorable for any actress i believe.

shoui - haikara-san 2017, 2020

this is the start of rei in shouja manga world. Oftentimes said by Rei, “*I’m often anxious how to make the character convincing. Take Ijuuin, he’s too perfect for a character, it’s not enough to show his good sides but also his vulnerable ones to show he’s also a human and has soft spotsl” “I also struggle to maintain the balance of manga and reality. It’s going to be difficult to reinvent a new concept to original manga fans and Takarazuka fans, and I’m always thinking how to act better.” This remains as a challenge for Rei in Poe Clan (where mentioned in Wowow premiere “Alan Twilight) is a character that has rebellious personality as a young kid, one that may be hard for me to connect too…” and especially in Hanayoridan,where Hanayoridan is such a famous series, the pressure to act as Domyouji and knowing the next top star is her, navigates her to find her acting style, which takes difficult pondering time. This later becomes the second main trait of Rei - trying to make acting convincing to connect to the audience.

Also, Rei loves Haikara-san 2017 atmosphere a lot that she feels how warm the audience are like “an enveloping happiness” as described to Maya Miki in the DX Talk.

jerry travers - top hat (2022)

the story of how Rei found Fred Astaire as her “spiritual mentor” began in forever gershwin (2013, kiki’s bow hall lead) performance where she literally played as fred astaire. in her takarazuka news corner, rei began with describing him as “a wonderful dancer”. we got more of her comments and insight on rei in london where she mentioned “it’s a cultural shock to see someone wear the kuroenbi so good and also lead a woman in dancing, showing the beauty of women…” no doubt playing as jerry travers gave her more time to research into being a gentleman or 紳士 and in her every performance, with otokoayku or musumeyaku, rei talks about these as keywords “vibes, breathing, communication” so eye contact, gestures and expressions are things that fans love her dancing in because either she’s enjoying the stage as a perfomer, she’s also giving time for partners to glow in whatever chemistry she’s trying to radiate. fred astaire has given her the third main acting trait: the essence of dancing with self or others.

and basically with these three, you can have other characters! it’s just this non-exhaustive formula from my observation in her shows:

type 1: pure acting (closer to her personality)

- chronosuke (genroku baroque rock, 2021)

- gaius octavius (augustus, 2021)

type 2: convincing acting (usually towards characters unlike her personality)

- domyouji (boys over flowers, 2019)

- jimmy winter (nice work if you can get it, 2021)

- daniel (melancolique gigolo, 2018)

- elio salvador (sorrowful cordoba, 2021)

- achilles (dance olympia, 2020)

type 3: dancing applies to all

[softfairies]

WOW

Kulam

Seguir leyendo

[giuliafc]

The Matchmakers chapter 1

The Matchmakers

by: JuliaFC

Read on: Ao3 || FFN

Paris, 1909. Marinette and Adrien are two 16 year old who live the double life of superheroes as Ladybug and Chat Noir. One morning, they discover that their friend Rose is in in love with Juleka, the sister of her current fiancé, Luka Couffaine. Wanting only the best for their friends, the two heroes decide to play matchmakers. What they discover in the process ends up getting them closer than ever. Will they achieve the impossible and get not one, not two, but three happily ever after?

Betas: KhanOfAllOrcs, Agrestebug, Etoile-Lead-Sama, Rosehealer02, Malauu-Ladynoir, Genxha. Thank you all so much!

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by (c) Thomas Astruc, TS1 Bouygues, Disney Channel, Zagtoon, Toei Animation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

This story participates in the AU April fic exchange of the Miraculous Fanworks Server. This is for LadyEnna_50 who asked for:

"Something set in a historic context. Adventure maybe a little comedy. Secret identities being revealed." In the tags, she asked for Lovesquare and JuleRose, so there you go, LadyEnna, hope you like it! Crazy, crazy idea you gave me ^-^

oOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 1 — Of Balconies and… surprises

"Let's see who's the first to the Iron Lady!" Chat Noir started racing around the City with his baton and gave Ladybug a massive smirk.

"You're on!" said Ladybug. The yoyo zipping around and of the baton crashing against the ground regularly were the only sounds echoing in the sleepiness of the city in the first hours of the morning. Although it was mid August, the air was still fresh because the rays of the rising sun hadn't yet managed to warm the dusky atmosphere. A horse from the cart of a junk dealer raised its head as the crystalline laughter of the girl in red polka-dotted costume resounded in the silence when she landed first on the metal structure. "Told you, you haven't got a chance, Chaton!"

"Would never dream to take the victory from a Lady!" Chat Noir landed next to her just seconds later and presented the girl next to him with a yellow rose. "I'm a gentle-cat, after all!"

Ladybug's smirk softened. "So you stopped on the way to pick this up? Oh, Chaton, you're incorrigible. How many times do I need to tell you that I'm in love with someone else?"

"Why, M'lady, this is a yellow rose, not red. It's a symbol of friendship!" He pouted.

She gave him a sly look as she picked the flower from his hand and gave it a good sniff. "Smells lovely, Chat Noir. Thank you." Then she elbowed him in the ribs. "But don't think you can fool me. It's a yellow rose with red tips. It's a symbol of falling in love from friendship." The sheepish glance back she got told the girl that the feline was very well aware of that.

"Uh, well, a young bachelor can hope!"

Ladybug smiled and looked at the view in front of her for a while, but never dropped or gave the boy back his rose. Eventually, she picked up her yoyo, opened the top part up and placed the rose inside.

She observed with vigilant eyes the cart of the junk dealer trotting away from the Champs de Mars just underneath them, and the silhouette of the lamplighter slowly turning off all the lampposts around.

"You know you don't need these tricks, Chat Noir. You're my best friend and I really do love you. Just… not in a romantic way." She patted the metal structure they were sitting on fondly. "I will miss this when it's taken down. When are they starting the works, Chaton?"

He gave her a smile. "You don't know the latest news, Ladybug? They actually decided to keep it."

She turned to him and looked at him with surprise. "You're joking?"

"Nah. They decided to place the radiotelegraph station permanently on the third floor. Not that people stopped complaining." He huffed. "Artists really hate it. Guy de Maupassant will be turning in his grave at the news, God bless his soul. He kept going on and on about how it outshines the classic elegance of the city. Have you heard that he had his meals in the café at the bottom of the tower because it was the only place where he couldn't see it 'ruining his view'?"

"Pffffft, really?" The girl snorted in her laughter. She patted the metal structure fondly. "Well, I like it. Sod the artists!"

The rising sun was tinting the darkness of the sky in shades of indigo and gold as the lights of the lampposts were slowly being switched off everywhere and the sky lit up. Chat Noir sighed, his gaze getting lost in the skyline, the fresh breeze blowing on top of the tower gently messing his hair. "I like it too. And they would also like it if they saw this view. But I'm glad nobody else can see this. It's only for us; and for the birds."

Ladybug turned to look at his partner, his blond mane shining almost like a halo in the backlight. "Yes, our own private view of inspiration."

Chat Noir smirked, invading her personal space to wiggle his eyebrows in her face. "I wonder why M'lady is not reading the newspapers, though…"

She 'hmph'ed. "I'm a busy girl in my civilian life, Chaton. I don't have the time to read silly gossip."

"Especially when people criticise your choice of costume, right?" He poked her and she faked-glared at him.

"That Lila Rossi. Just because she started modeling for the Agreste fashion brand, she thinks she's an expert in fashion now. How dare she insult my outfit? I saved Paris from her akumatised self twice already, and her outfits as an akuma victim were... atrocious!" She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, her eyebrows furrowing in an irritated frown. "What's wrong with my outfit, anyway? I need to be comfortable when I'm fighting akumas, I can't go around wearing bustiers and wide gowns!"

She looked down at the costume that wrapped around her body. Her top was like a second skin on her bosom starting from her neck, covering her up to her hands, but then flew into a long sleeved flap collar knee-length dress, all red with black polka dots and black accents. She wore a belt at her waist and covered her legs with a pair of red and polka dotted bloomers with black accents and skin-tight boots to cover her calves and feet. It was practical, it was comfortable, and it was decent. That Lila compared it to a bathing suit. How dare she!

Chat Noir sniggered. "Someone doesn't sound very happy about her comments, huh?" He gave her an amused grin when she shot him a second glare. "But you shouldn't be bothered by her opinion, Buginette. You know that, in my eyes, your outfit is the best in the whole world, because you are in it."

She smiled softly at him and rested her head on his shoulder. He gasped, but didn't move. In fact, soon his arm circled her shoulder and moved her a little closer as his cheek rested gingerly on the top of her head. She smelled of baked goods and wildflowers. He breathed in such an intoxicating scent and sighed happily.

It was only after a while that Ladybug shook herself out of her self induced réverie and moved to look at him. "Shall we do a last round of patrol before heading home?"

"You're on!" He smiled and as the girl started zipping her yoyo around, he gladly followed her.

They flew around different streets and neighbourhoods of Paris and everything seemed to be in order. The only excitement they had was helping a ginger cat come down a tree. So they were nearly going to end their round of patrol, when they passed in front of a big villa in the neighbourhood right behind the tower, a little out of the way from the Seine. Chat Noir saw Ladybug look at one of the balconies and freeze on the spot, her body stiffening as she lost control of her yoyo. He gave a push to his baton and dove down, managing to reach her and grab her in his arms before she could hurt herself and landed in an alley nearby.

"Wowow, M'lady, be careful, you nearly slammed your beautiful face against that chimney!" He took a deep breath to calm down and let the adrenaline rush wash off his body. "What did you see, is there an akuma?" He finally let go of her and she used her yoyo to pull herself up to a rooftop. She hid behind a chimney there and beckoned to him to do the same. He did as he was told and peeked curiously to understand what had caused such a reaction on his Lady.

"What am I looking at?" he said scratching his cheek.

Ladybug sighed. "That's the Lavillant villa. Since you said you read the news, you should know that they've been in every newspaper lately."

"Yes, I know," he said thoughtfully. "Because of the engagement. Why are we snooping at their residence?"

"Look!" She pointed at a balcony on the second floor of the mansion. Chat Noir squirmed his eyes to really pay attention to what she was pointing at and when he saw it, he gasped. "There, now you see it!" exclaimed Ladybug.

"Is that Rose Lavillant?" whispered the feline.

Ladybug nodded. "Yep, that's Rose. And the other girl is—"

"Juleka Couffaine!" He paused significantly. "Uh, it doesn't feel normal to see two girls kissing that way, especially when one is engaged," he mused, "and the other one is the sister of her fiancé…"

"I can't believe it. I knew that Rose didn't look happy, but I didn't expect her to… be…"

"In love with her future sister-in-law, you mean?" Chat Noir's voice still sounded stunned.

"Aha." Ladybug sighed and turned around, her cheeks dusting in pink because the two girls were getting more steamy with their kissing, and she was starting to feel bad about snooping. She saw that Chat Noir was STILL looking, so she grabbed him by his belt and moved him out of the view.

"Uh, you're such a killjoy, M'lady…"

She glared at him. "Chaton!"

"Okay, okay, sorry, I shouldn't have kept looking." He put a hand on his nape. "But you must admit that two girls kissing each other are the cat's meow… and they are doing it right in the open and, you know, a gentlecat's dream is—'' He stopped because Ladybug gave him a firm elbow in the ribs.

"A gentleman should be looking away! And may I remind you that it's not even five in the morning? They don't expect to have an audience!"

He sighed. "Okay, okay, I won't keep looking."

"You better!" She slid down and sat on the rooftop, resting her back against the chimney behind her. "So what are we going to do about it? I fear that the whole situation could become a real akuma magnet."

"Yeah… I'm sorry for Luka," mumbled Chat Noir under his breath. "I know he doesn't love her, but still… having competition in your own home isn't fun."

Ladybug looked at him in surprise. "You know Luka Couffaine?"

Worry filled his eyes, but he sighed and slouched his shoulders. "You could say I do, yeah. I don't think it would compromise my identity if I say that I'm in his circle of friends."

"Oh wow." She looked a bit startled. "I must have come across your civilian self sometimes, then, because I'm in Rose's circle of friends."

He looked at her funny. "She only knows and invites to her parties half of Paris… I'm so not surprised that you know her. Between her and Chloé Bourgeois, I think they know the whole city."

She looked down thoughtfully and pulled her legs close to her chest, hugging her knees. "I had noticed lately that her smiles weren't reaching her eyes and that she didn't laugh as genuinely as she always did anymore, but I would never have expected her situation to be so messed up." She sighed. "I'm really sorry for her. It must not be easy to have the one you love in front of your very eyes every day and have to pretend that instead, you love her brother."

Chat Noir's gaze locked into hers as she said that and the sadness and empathy she read in his green cat-like orbs caught her unprepared and made her heart skip a beat. "Yeah, it's terrible." He let out a big sigh. "I mean, not the arranged marriage; that's normal unfortunately." He broke eye contact and mirrored her pose, pulling up his legs and hugging his knees, his gaze getting lost in the endless view of the rooftops of the city of Light. "I did tell you that my father promised me in marriage, didn't I? I don't love her; I love you, M'lady. But I must pretend in public that I do. It's not that hard once you get used to it."

"I'm so sorry, Chat Noir." She put a gloved hand on his shoulder and placed a kiss on the top of his forehead. The intensity in his eyes when their gazes met made her feel weak in her knees.

"Rose is a nice girl, though," he said eventually. "I like her; she always has a kind word for everyone. I am sorry that she's not happy, don't get me wrong."

"Then we need to do something about it." Ladybug's frown was very determined as she slammed one of her fists on the palm of the other hand.

Chat Noir sat legs crossed and looked up at her. "Okay! So… what's your plan?"

"Still not sure, but I'll find a way. You're with me, partner?" She showed him her fist to bump.

His smile brightened. "To the moon and back, as always, M'lady. Operation ‘matchmakers’?" And then he fist bumped with her.

"Good idea! Pound it?" she said, a determined gleam to her eyes as she smirked at him.

"Pound it!" Then he looked at the position of the sun and his smile faded. "Now it's better if I head home, or someone may notice my absence and I could get in trouble. See you next Wednesday, same rooftop?"

"Unless there's an akuma attack!" she retorted.

"Purrfect! See you then, LB!" And that said, he extended his baton and jumped high in the sky with a little pirouette.

----------------------------------

Author's Note:

Hi everyone!

This, as you may have read in the introduction note, is my effort for the AU April exchange of the Fanworks server. I hope that LadyEnna_50 likes it, because the good stuff is yet to come.

This story took me an awful amount of research to get ready. I actually started writing it last night, but I had the idea for it right after I got my assignment, at the beginning of the month. But I had been asked to put historical references and… well, that needs research. And Moi because it's Moi… LOVES doing research, but is also VERY anal about her research. I think I've become an expert of the first decade of the 20th century by now.

As always, please drop me a line and review. The more reviews I see the more the story goes high on my updating list, because I feel I'd let down more people if I wait. Worry not: I love all my stories so I will update them all eventually. But surely the ones with more reviews take priority for me. So… you know the drill. You review. I update! ^-^

I hope to update as soon as possible anyway, but I want to focus on "Caught in the Loop" and "When Magic Fails" after this, and of course "Stuck in a Cabin"!. I will come back here very soon! Please subscribe to know when the next chapter will be out.

If you read this and you’re not part of our wonderful Discord server already, but you enjoy reading, writing and talking about Miraculous, please join our Discord server, Miraculous Fanworks (for people on FFN, discord dot gg slash mlfanworks). See you there soon.

[honeyjxsung]

SO STRAY KIDS

 The concert was AMAZING oh my god. I managed to get the pit and I went with @themeisims and they were CLOSE. YOU COULD SEE THEIR SWEAT GLISTENING. It was hella hot inside and outside of the venue, in fact 2 people passed out (theyre ok). But it was still so worth it. SO LETS MOVE ON TO THE MEMBERS

Chan: GODDAMN THIS MAN. He was so precious I swear. He was so concerned when a stay passed out and even offered water. And after every song he would make sure that the people in the back and in the pit could see. His accent was so soothing (?) and I just fell in love with him even more. And what a TEASE he IS. LIKE BODYROLLS. ALSO HE SAID ‘HOWDY’ H O W D Y eye- 

but yeah chan was just so caring and adorable. also his abs were more defined than i thought

Woojin: Kim freaking Woojin. He looked so good, and he spoke a lot, which surprised me. His voice was so stable even after performing 3 songs in a row (resPECT). He sang Ed Sheeran ‘Thinking out loud’ to Stay and UGHH I melted. AND OMFG THAT JAWLINE- 

Basically, woojin was just being the cutie he is. UWU

Minho: Alright I was lowkey sad because this boy didn’t speak as much. But when he did, MAN THE SCREAMS WERE LOUD. He was just so mesmerizing to look at. Even if he didn’t do anything he was still so pretty. ALSO HIS AEGYO OHMYGOD. He got so shy afterwards and it literally made it a hundred times more cuter. 

Changbin: OK ARMS. He wore a fucking sleeveless top and wow those arms can be made of steel. His english improved so so so much and I’m so proud of him. He spoke several times and he was so smiley about it too (Chan was staring at him smiling as well, we love a supportive leader). And when he initiated the ‘na na na na na” part in My Pace, I got goosebumps. There was no music, just his voice, and Stay’s voice. AND hE LITERALLY CALLED HIMSELF BABY CHANGBIN WHILE BODYROLLING I JUST WANNA SAY-

binnie was just a big ball of energy, i love it ALSO WHENEVER HE RAPPED STAYS WOULD YELL ‘YOHH’ IN SYNC

Hyunjin: Don’t get me started. Hyunjin was serving us everythinggg. I loved his english pronunciation and his giggles. Also him in the blue shirt? YES. IT was really unnecessary to roll his sleeves up like that, but he fed us well lmao. His part in My Pace literally killed everyone in the venue and his laugh is so contagious istg. 

Jisung: Ok here we go. MY BiAS HAN JISUNG. This man was so energetic. His smile was radiating and his CUTE NOISES OMG. His english was so cute and his voice wowow. He hit all his high notes with ease and WHEN HE SANG MARRY YOU BY BRUNO MARS SKSKS i died a little. HE spoke spanish as well ughsdifb THERE WERE SO MANY MINSUNG  AND HYUNSUNG MOMENTS TOO OMG 

he was so unreal, i don’t have enough words to explain

Felix: Ok listen up. Seeing Felix Lee up close was such an overwhelming feeling. Stays are so used to seeing him in a screen, but when we were a couple feet away from him, you could just see his flawless self, and that alone made my heart beat so fast. Unfortunately, he didn’t speak as much as the other boys, but everyone still gave him the same enthusiasm. You’d be surprised by the amount of Felix stans in Texas W0w. and ugh his DUALITY. first there’s his dEEP ASs VOICE My Pace and I am You. Then there was his “YOU GUYS ARE MY YEE TO MY HAW” aegyo in his HIGH PITCHED BABY VOICE. LIKE HE CONFUSES ME BUT I ENJOY IT???

Seungmin: “SEUNGMIN IN THE HOUSTON BUILDING” Gosh, I fell in deep. Seungmin was so adorable and his voice was so relaxing. When he sang Just the way you are by bruno mars i just screamed at the top of my lungs like everyone else. He harmonized with himself and it made it so much better. HE LOOKED SO TINY BUT AT THE SAME TIME HE LOOKED TALL??? A GIANT BABY??

Jeongin: BLONDE HAIR CHANGED THIS MAKNAE. He was so cheeky. ugh and i love his laugh. he sang ‘I LOVE YOU STAY’ in trot as his present to us, and honestly i expected that from him haha. during awkward silence, HiS BODYROLLS WERE UNCALLED FOR. THERE WAS NO NEED TO SLIP YOUR JACKET OFF. but other than that he was just a TINY BBY.

basically to sum it all up, the concert was a blast. the energy from both stays and stray kids really lightened the atmosphere and everyone was just having a good time. the stays surrounding us were very nice and super outgoing. they were also very considerate. The boys were very hyper and giddy and didn’t waste a second to show their love to us. 

Stray kids, you make stays stay. <33

thanks for listening to my rant haha

[dailyexo]

[NEWS] Kai - 171208 Vogue Japan: “Based on a work by Mukoda Kuniko, the drama 'Spring Has Come' stars Kai from the world renowned group EXO. We caught up with him for an interview in Tokyo!”

"Kai, a member from Korea’s quadruple million-selling and Asia’s top dance and vocal group, EXO has been making a buzz recently with his leading role in his first Japanese drama. The anticipated drama, 'Spring Has Come', will begin airing on 13 January. The drama is based on a work by Mukoda Kuniko and will also be featuring Kurushina Kana, Furuhata Seika, Takahata Atsuko and Sano Shiro. The overarching theme is ‘family regeneration’, with Kai taking up the role of a Korean photographer. To promote the drama, Kai came to Japan and sat down with us for an interview.

A light beige colour covered the studio that Kai was in. He was slender and tall, his gentleness reflected in the radiant aura that filled the room. He politely exchanged greetings with the staff before proceeding to the photoshoot. He sat in the chair with his legs extended, his movements were smooth as if he was dancing as he struck a bashful pose. ‘May I sit on the floor?’, ‘May I lay down?’…. Without waiting for the photographer’s instruction, Kai moved. After the shoot was over, he headed over to the table for the interview. Like a true gentleman, Kai handed water bottles to us and the interpreter before taking his own. As for the interview itself, Kai answered each question confidently in his own words. Near the end of the interview, when he was asked to give a message to fans, his expression and tone immediately became softer.

Why did you choose to tone your body?

ㅡ Please tell us what you did to prepare for the drama.

I play a photographer, so I had to learn how to use a camera. Above anything else though, I needed to speak Japanese well so I studied the language diligently.

ㅡ You seemed to have had to tone your body for the role.

In the drama there is a scene where I undress so I focused a lot on toning my body. Even during my time in Japan, while filming, I would work out alone and if I had time I would exercise every day. Even though I only began toning my body during the summer of 2016, I’ve grown to really like it now (hehe).

ㅡ ‘Spring Has Come’ paints a picture of an ideal family, but the drama also paints the image of a cold family. Did you feel any differences between these types of families to those in Korea?

I don’t think the drama could ever depict all of the types of families in Japan. All families are different and Korean families are just as different as those in Japan. With that being said, more important than the differences, I think things like the ideal family and problems within a family are the same regardless of country. Because of that, I felt very sympathetic towards the family in the drama. In addition, I also experienced a lot of warmth in the atmosphere amongst Japanese families through things like eating together under a kotatsu1. Actually, I had received one as a gift back when I debuted. It’s small and warm, I love it.

He spoke enthusiastically about filming on set with his costars.

ㅡ In the drama there are many scenes where a family is gathered around a dining table. Are there any memories you can recall about your family gathering around the dining table?

My mother was good at cooking so she would make a variety of food. Right now I’m into dak-galbi2 with mochi3. Even though she makes a lot of seafood dishes, I really want to eat dak-galbi. However, it’s difficult to find time to eat with my family and unfortunately we haven’t had any time to gather together around the dining table. I have good memories of overseas trips I’ve taken with my family during breaks.

ㅡ Did you get to know your costars?

Yes, we became good friends and had a fun time during the filming. They understood that I was studying Japanese and would try to help me out in various ways. They would teach me things such as interesting words, like ‘Omae mo na (right back at ya)’ (hehe). Naoko (Kurushina Kana) taught me that. I handed a copy of EXO’s concert DVD to Sano Shiro who played the role of the father during one reading of the script and he watched it. One of our members plays guitar and it happened to be one of the guitars Shiro liked, he also talked about things like a famous Korean artist he was close with along with just music in general. The other staff helped teach me hiragana as well, which made for a pleasant filming experience. During the filming I had memorised all of the hiragana, but if I were to look at it now I don’t think I would be able to read it since it’s been a while (hehe).

What scene from the drama made you feel most exposed?

ㅡ EXO’s song ’Lovin’ You Mo’’ is used as the theme for the drama.

The drama revolves around relationships between families, which differ from the love in romantic relationships. Despite this, I think both types of love signify the ‘relationship’ between people, which is what I think this theme song captures.

ㅡ What is different between the love among family and the love among lovers?

I think love between lovers begins with the desire for family. With the love between lovers, two people can become a family, and then I feel like the two types of love become the same.

ㅡ Along with ’Spring Has Come’ and ‘Andante’, you have appeared in many dramas. Have you ever considered using your dancing skills in a role of an action drama?

Action dramas are great! But unfortunately in this drama, ’Spring Has Come’, the scene that I felt most exposed was… No scene actually comes to mind (roar of laughter).

ㅡ It seems hard to think of a particular scene.

Nothing was particularly difficult, moreso, it was fun. Perhaps there were some scenes like that though (hehe).

ㅡ Kai, please send a message to your fans.

Hello. I am Kai. Everyone, please give ‘Spring Has Come’ a lot of love and support. It’s a drama about love between family members and lovers. It’s also a drama that let's you see a different image of me than usual. To those of you watching the drama, I hope you can laugh and cry as you enjoy it. And please also give VOGUE JAPAN and WOWOW lots of support, thank you."

1Note: Kotatsu is a type of Japanese heated table covered in a thick blanket (futon). Typically used during the winter, a family would all sit under the warm blanket and eat together, making kotatsu a symbol of closeness and family within Japan.

2Note: Spicy stir-fried chicken.

3Note: Rice cake.

Photo link: 1, 2, 3

Credit: translation, dailyexo.tumblr.com, Source: Vogue Japan.

[softfairies]

MAKI THIS IS SO CUTE OHMYGODDD

(they Will Probably get sick after this but let them love eachother lmao)

[comments-on-kai]

[ NAVER ] KAI, Full-fledged attack on Japan as an Actor

(SportsDonga) [Article Translated by @theMoonDreamer_/ Twitter]

Popular group EXO's KAI is showing off the power of Hallyu.

To commemorate the recent end of broadcast for KAI's first lead role drama KBS 1TV's "Andante" aired through Japan cabel channel WOWOW, an event has been prepared. This will be the first time for such an official event for KAI who previously only had his solo birthday party to meet his fans after his debut, which says a lot of his high position in Japan.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that this event to be held on March 21st at the Pacifico Yokohama National Convention Hall is accomplished by KAI's name value. KAI is expected to take part in the event through contents of a "personal fanmeeting" such as sharing stories with fans, performing song and more.

The 16-episode drama Andante which had it's first airing last year only achieved the highest rating of 2.8%. Relatively speaking, being aired at 10am on channel KBS1TV was not a condition conducing to become a hot issue. Especially considering other than KAI, the other actors such as Baek Chulmin, Kim Jinkyung & Lee YeHyun are all unfamiliar faces to audiences which also lowers the expectation for the popularity.

But in Japan the very fact that KAI is officially taking up the challenge of acting itself is having the positive effect of garnering the attention of local fans which led to export sales of publishing copyrights. Riding the wave of this interest, the production of a DVD was also decided on on the 19th. To be launched on two separate occasions of March 3rd and May 2nd, it will also be available for the public at various rental stores.

The OST album for the drama will also be on sale on the aforementioned event to be held on March 21st.

With this beginning, KAI's opportunity to raise the awareness of the public of him as an actor in Japan also continues.

Currently, he is starring in WOWOW's 5-episodes drama "Spring Has Come" which is still being aired. Prior to the broadcast, he has already appeared in various medias and participated in a Press Conference as an actor.

In the drama, KAI appears as a photographer from Korea who performs his dialogues in Japanese. Rather than the appeal of intensity overflowing with charisma during his activities within the group, a softer charm is displayed and it adds more to the joy of a refreshing feeling for the watching fans.

Comments:

[+535,-35] I'm watching the drama Spring Has Come with KAI as the lead very well! His natural acting is good and he really matches well with the character of a gentle,handsome man. I'm anticipating more of his acting in the future. I hope you keep getting successful!

[+494,-28] Jongin-ah will be supporting you. Fighting! [+473,-27] Will always be supporting the KAI on stage and the KAI who is acting! [+465,-26]  EXO of 9! EXO who is presently progressing no matter where you are and whatever image you're presenting we will always support you [+439,33] I watched Andante with a lot of fun, so he is also acting in Japan. He is good at acting so I hope he will be acting more in the future - KAI's acting is good..well first and foremost he's very handsome so that's already nice to look atㅋㅋㅋ - I've been watching from Andante and now Spring Has Come too! I'm supporting KAI! Fighting! - I though he did the high school boy character justice in Andante but when I saw how good he is playing a mid-20s role in Spring Has Come I've made up my mind that he's good at acting. I support KAI! - I watched both Andante and now Spring Has Come and he matches both the different roles and storylines so well to the point you're not reminded of the other character or the person who plays it while you're watching. - So shocked at how opposite Jiwon in Spring Has Come was to the Shikyung in Andante. I think he was born with a skill to express something very well. - his acting as Jiwon-san is so good to the point i completely forgot i'm watching my favourite singer EXO. And...I have fallen in love with Jiwon-san^^ - I'm watching the Japanese drama mentioned in this article and it's so entertainingㅠㅠㅋㅋ The story is unique as well as the usual fast progress in a J-drama! I feel somewhat satisfied that he appears as this Korean who is like a healer to to the familyㅋㅋㅋㅋ - KAI's acting has this clear and bright feeling to it...maybe that's why he's able to do both mid-twenties and high schooler acting? - I'm watching your acting very well~ I'm anticipating more in the future - It was hard to wake up on Sunday mornings but because KAI was in it I started watching Andante. The content of the drama was so touching and it was regretful that the ratings couldn't go higher so I'm so happy to hear that it was even sold to air in Japan. It is my hope that more people will get to watch Andante because so you will feel so many touching emotions. Congratulations! - Spring Has Come has provocative contents but somehow it's also warm...it's a profound and mysterious drama - I've been following KAI since Andante because he can act..and now he's a lead in Japanese drama..anticipating this too - KAI i'm watching your drama very well - jongin-ah I'm always supporting your moves - I've fallen deeply into the charms of the KAI who is acting ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Shikyung in Andante was surely cute but thanks to the Lee Jiwon character who eminates the scent of an Adult man I'm suffering every day  ㅠㅠㅠㅠ  I'm really anticipating the future moves of Actor KAI. - The acting in both Andante & Spring Has Come is good and he has a good voice that makes you focus very easily. I will keep on supporting you in the future!

- Andante left such a deep impression on me. For someone like me who had a similar experience, I received so much comfort from it and I feel so touched while watching it, to the point I think of it as the Drama of my life. Now i found out that he's doing another activity in a drama I'm really anticipating it. His acting is natural and he has a pleasant outer appearanceㅎㅎ It will be great if  I could meet more with Actor KAI in the future.

- I watched both of them...KAI seriously...one moment he's a high school kid and in the next he's a grown-up man....his atmosphere in the two dramas are totally different I was so shocked - Wherever you are and whatever you will do you will always be amazing so have strength and fighting!! - I think KAI has something that can entice the hearts of people...there's no other way but to just love him - wow that's Daebak..EXO KAI is really cool - the thing that shocked me so much about his acting as Jiwon in Spring Has Come is he's showing all these charms that makes it so hard to believe it was the same person who played Shikyung in Andante. His voice is nice and his romantic gaze is SO good I didn't even realize I have totally fallen hard for him while watchingㅠㅠㅠ - If i'm watching KAI's fluttering acting without even realizing it i'm just smiling like an idiot - rather than the frivolous high schooler he matches the recent drama role so much better. of course his japanese is less than perfect but that's fine because he's appearing as a Korean anyway. It's fun and waiting for it today. - Andante was such a good drama~~ I feel happy that it's getting good results in Japan - To be honest, according to my standards the KAI in Spring Has Come is so much better than in Andante. As KAI has good acting skills and great looks I think it will be great if he plays this type of attractive roles more in the future! I think he would also do very fine as a sexy but evil type of character tooㅋ - today I watched Spring Has Come too. I was impressed with the gentle and acting depth that you showed. KAI fighting! - Jiwon's attractive charms are different than Shikyung. Shikyung is cute and so lively whereas Jiwon-san is tender and gentle but he has a darker inner sides to himㅠㅠ it's so fun. And Naoko-san who appears as the heroine is also very prettyㅠㅠ  KAI fighting! - What I felt from watching Spring Has Come episode 3 just now... KAI is very attractive and handsomeㅠㅠㅠㅠ  not saying that it's just his good looking face but it's actually his overall atmosphere as a person, and his voice and the look in his eyes were all good. i hope he has more acting activities in the future. - I bought this drama at N-store & i'm watching it; it's your typical j-drama and his acting is good, not awkward at all - he's the perfect fit for the role! i hope you keep doing well as an actor!!

[lovelyyyoongi]

Oh. My. God. I want to write something about your last post but I'm just so speechless right now. Reading this took me an entire hour and just, wow. It's been a long time since reading something that made me feel the way this did, and I'm not kidding. I was SO invested while reading and I reeeaally got into it, usually when I read something I always try to put myself into the characters point of view so I also did it this time and when I realized that it was Y/N's Birthday and Jungkook just-

forgot about it I actually got SO mad like I WAS RAGING ON THE INSIDE, and when Y/N told him to get out I felt how heartbroken she might be and I actually started crying a little (yes I get very emotional very quickly) and alsjdflj I didn’t cry because of reading something IN AGES and throughout this I was literally on an emotional roLLERCOASTER. I also had the PERFECT atmosphere because umm, I started reading at 1:30am (it’s nearly 3am now) and just sljdfjjsk I seriously think this is-

the best thing you've written so far and I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IT REALLY TOUCHED ME AND SEE, IN MY LAST ASK I SAID I WAS EXCITED FOR WHATEVER YOU'D POST NEXT AND THIS JUST TOPPED EVERYTHING AAAHH, YOU'RE SO AMAZING -🌟 (last one from my spam)

AKDJSK THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This was the first time writing something more than 5k words and it took sooo long! Nearly an hour? ajdjsk thank you for taking the time to read it! I really appreciate it! WOWOW IM SO GLAD YOU WERE ABLE TO OUT YOURSELF IN THE STORY! 

Honestly,,, i felt it too:((((( The angst got to me and I was mad at Jungkook too asldkjsad;;;oh no bb!! don’t cry !!! D: OLAKJSDS GO TO SLEEP LOVE!!

SAKDNDS REALLY? THE BEST THING? IM SO FLATTERED OMG I WAS SO UNCONFIDENT WITH THIS ONE AHHHH

Once again, thank you so much!!! You’re so sweet my lovely star anon!!🙈💕

[logicallylearningmoved]

Wowow congrats on 5k!!! My favourite movie is Spirited Away bc i love the atmosphere, music and characters ( ＾∀＾) If possible i'd love a url moodboard!! Congrats again wowie !!

Spirited Away is definitely my favorite studio ghibli movie as well! I first saw it when I was really young and I didn’t understand everything. Now that I’m a bit older, I’m glad I can fully appreciate it.

[ariadnes-red-thread]

I slept on this series for a bit just because Maul fic usually isn’t my cup of tea but I finally read it this week and WOWOW!! I love the concept and the time period/characters/AU/atmosphere is so well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I can’t get over how creative the concept is and how well built out the world is. I can’t wait to see where this goes!

@moonstrider9904 can I be on the taglist please? 🥰

Night Personified

Series Masterlist

Pairings: Crosshair x Fem!/AFAB Reader, Maul x Fem!/AFAB Reader

Series Summary: You've formed part of a local coven for little over a year and you love your secret life as a witch, but it never comes without its dangers. You live in a world where witches' powers are feared, and things only get more dangerous when the Emperor decrees that all witches and practitioners must be hunted down. With your coven scattered, you come to rely on an eclectic warlock and one of the hunters for your survival.

Series rating: Explicit for sexual content in some chapters, Mature, 18+

Series tags: fantasy-ish AU, 18+, slow burn romance, love triangle, magic, violence, persecutions, inspired by Pagan traditions and Witchcraft practices. WitchHunter!Crosshair, Warlock!Maul. Please read each chapter's individual tags too!

{Read on Ao3} {Read on Wattpad}

Chapter 1: Of Emperors and Covens

Chapter 2: Witch without a Coven

Chapter 3: Moonless Night - coming soon!

More chapters TBA

Playlist - new!!

Fic Teaser

Moodboard by @/eloquentmoon

[athina39]

wowow senpai i saw that you have posts about symbolisms in your harem!chuuya fic. do you have some more? i'm interested to see if there's anything i missed!

i’m very honored (and excited!!!) that there are folks like you who want to discuss my fic ahhhhh. it gives off the feeling that i’m actually writing something really worthwhile hahaha. so thank you!!! :D :D :D

so here are some of the (major) ~symbolisms, ~themes that i added to the fic. (i may have missed some lololol pls feel free to ask me more questions :D)

- chuuya’s character song. the things i got from it are: (1) chuuya thinks that he’s imprisoned by the world (he’s a bird in a goddamn cage) - and the key to this cage is in dazai’s hand; (2) he knows that he’s imprisoned, but he doesn’t want to keep on lamenting it - he wants to keep going until the end, until he falls apart. he goes on with life, laughing off whatever’s happening to him; (3) even if he tries to “leave” his cage - dazai is there to, presumably keep him locked in; (4) chuuya thinks that even if he manages to get out, he’d rather *fall* rather than return to a cage alone; (5) he views dazai as someone who: (5a) is a view worth more than 10-billion, (5b) has the same philosophy as Kierkegaard, (5c) has said the line ‘in langour dreams of death’.

(5c) expanded - the line is from chuuya’s poem 'For The Tainted Sorrow’, so did chuuya write that line after dazai said it? or did the line actually come from chuuya himself? the line seems more in-tune with dazai’s way of thinking but it’d also be interesting if chuuya actually shares the same apathy/hole when it comes to living…?

- Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophy - so this is technically an expansion from (5b)! the guy is a proponent of a loooooooot of philosophies/ideas. the idea that i chose to expand on in the fic is about the “leap of faith”, which is, as per wiki: “No such evidence could ever be enough to completely justify the kind of total commitment involved in true religious faith or romantic love. Faith involves making that commitment anyway.” his idea is that people doubt things, but real love means that believing in something/someone, despite the doubt, despite there being no evidence that one should believe/love that something/someone. so in this fic, it’s a clash between dazai’s philosophy (the love needs no evidence) and chuuya’s (you’ve hurt me before, how do i know that you won’t do it again, you have to give me proof that you won’t leave).

other things of note about the kierkegaard’s ideas: (6) man must understand himself inwardly before his life gains peace and meaning; (7) once man is at the bottommost despair, thinking “ah, things can’t be changed”, that’s when they’ll start to be reinvigorated; (8) absurdism: in which humans try to find value and meaning in life, but are unable to find any; (9) authenticity: in which stays true to their real character despite everything that happens to them - the real self is achieved when one realizes their own character amid the outside world;

chuuya & dazai both go through this internal struggles throughout their life where they try to find their true self amidst what’s happening to them, as well as how well does their “real character” survives against the external influences (their Abilities, the Port Mafia, each other, etc).

- dazai & apples have been expanded here - but basically, there’s a lot of symbolism re: apples that are just so dAZAI

- the people chuuya’s dating all possess characteristics that (10) he likes and dazai’s also showing those traits OR has traits that are the complete opposite of dazai’s, as a contrast; AND (11) characteristics that chuuya has already. i made a table that has a list of those traits here!

- chuuya’s quest to find self-worth - since chuuya’s not particularly important to the plot (urgh), i know he won’t really get an in-depth exploration of this - but he’s just like kyouka (and lucy/q), in which since he’s fairly young, he’s had this Ability that’s super powerful, but is out of his control. kyouka’s had angst about the 35 people - and she’s had angst about her Ability being out of *her* control and is instead dependent on some(one)/(thing) else - and she’s had angst about her self-worth being killing only. chuuya’s Ability matches all of those - and to think that kyouka’s in the mafia when mori’s already the Boss - who’s considered an *improvement* on the previous Boss. based on the general timeline from the backstories, i believe that dazai & chuuya joined the mafia before mori’s the boss - so if kyouka’s treatment is already considered “an improvement”…. just think of what chuuya could have gone through before.

- chuuya’s quest for normality - linked to the self-worth quest is the conclusion to having your entire life generally weighed as your contribution based on your abilities. he’s a very strong piece on the chessboard (it’s been alluded to, multiple times, that he’s considered a one-man army; ranpo in ch49 even says that just chuuya’s joining the fray is enough to drastically alter the odds of a fight; mori says in ch…24? iirc, that chuuya’s a force that’s enough to subdue the whole Agency) so i doubt that he’s had a normal upbringing or that he’s considered normal, at all.

- Abilities being gone from the world - as a plot point, i like this setting because it gives a chance to “level” the playing field for all characters. they’d all be on equal footing - because some Abilities are so OP that it changes the game. it’s a great chance to have chuuya, whose worth has been resting on his abilities, suddenly losing something that makes him so worthy. it’s also, in a way, a good chance to have chuuya be free from dazai - without corruption, he doesn’t *need* dazai to save him. without dazai’s 'no longer human’, he no longer has an insurance, because he’s not needed to stop the powerful ability users from going berserk (chuuya, q). it’s a good way to explore how the 'tainting’ actually works - chuuya’s chant, while very chuuni, is also interesting, because is it implying that his ability is actually somewhat more otherworldly? who are these 'grantors of dark disgrace’? what happens if chuuya’s link to them is severed? it’s also, esp in chuuya’s case, a good… parallel? to how you can have something your whole life, taking it for granted, shaping your life to accomodate it, and then one day - it can just go away.

- chuuya being a good boss - port mafia is said to be a very individual-centric organization. the previous boss likes powertrips, doesn’t really care about the people as long as he gets the destruction that he needs, as long as the mafia is feared. mori calculates everything as a game. chuuya’s very different from those 2 bosses (as well as dazai, since we have the dazai-is-considered-as-next-boss thing). he cares deeply for his squad - to the point that he doesn’t mind q dying if it means retribution for his nameless redshirts’ deaths. he’s able to act differently when he’s interacting with different people (e.g. suave and deferential with mori/kouyou; motherhen towards akutagawa/kajii; drinking buddy with hirotsu/kajii and tachihara in that one chapter). he’s respected by people - the black lizard squad, who work closely with akutagawa and mori, two very frightening and powerful people, treat him with respect. yes, his temper (esp when dazai is involved) could use a lot of work, but he’s someone who could be a very good boss, who actually *knows* the people he’s working with, treats them as people, treats them as individuals who are important to the organization. (not to mention, chuuya helping the granny even tho he knows it doesn’t match being a mafia!)

- date locations - whenever chuuya goes on a date with someone else who’s not dazai… they go to “usual date places” (i use the dating/tourist spot suggestions for yokohama). whenever chuuya spends time with dazai… i try to make it so that they do more “domestic” things (they spend a lot of time in chuuya’s house, or doing things like grocery shopping, buying food, etc). my goal is to have a contrast of how chuuya’s more about “showmanship”, when he’s with others - he cares for them, but he’s expending extra effort to make it so that it’s all ~~~date atmosphere~~~, while with dazai, he doesn’t exert much effort in trying to interact with him.

- in addition to the above, of course, is the concept of home - chuuya’s lost his home multiple times in his life, where home is both a literal home, as well as a representation of a place for him to belong. he keeps on losing the place he finds stability, so he keeps on searching for it. the goal is that he’ll eventually realize that dazai is his home. as a side-note, chuuya’s never referred his apartment as his home…. yet.

- chuuya’s view of romance - i was thinking - chuuya grew up (lol not in his height tho) in the mafia. the people that we’ve seen him with re: childhood are: kouyou, dazai, mori, q. those people don’t seem very good mentors when it comes to romance/emotions. kouyou’s… the main proponent of the “we’re beings of the dark, we can’t go for the light”. &she’s got that traumatic romance thingy going on. dazai… NO. mori… NO. q… NO. so not very good influences when it comes to healthy emotions. i also doubt that the port mafia gave much weight to actually having their members learn about romance. so how would chuuya learn about romance???

- weather - so the cold weather is because (a) good excuse for coat sharing (esp since soukoku coats/matching outfits!!!); (b) sign that something “different” from normal is happening; © WINTER FYODOR IS COMING

- the tell-tale heart - edgar allan poe's short story that has elements of (a) unreliable narrator, (b) insanity vs logic. the narrator/main character in the story spends the entire story insisting on one thing, but the more he insists, the more we learn that it's the opposite of what he's insisting. a pretty good parallel for what chuuya's doing too.

- the things that chuuya mentioned in ch1 (the opera, music, etc) all have some sort of significance too :D

that’s all i can get from my notes as of the moment haha! thanks again for the ask - i’m sorry i rambled too much lol

[hannah-writes-stuff-blog]

We are so small compared to the vastness of outer space. People think they're so big, so much bigger than any other human here, whether that mean powerful, politically powerful but I'm all seriousness, that doesn't matter. You are just an organism floating on a giant "rock" on a mote of dust suspended in a beam of light, just going around and round in a circle literally 24/7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I was watching the meteor shower tonight and wowow I realized how actually tiny we are. And it blew my mind, these rocks that were hurling their way for us barely scraping our atmosphere and slightly burning and being able to watch a streak of faint light scratch the sky was amazing. I don't know where this writing is going at the moment because I'm just babbling about the sky but, there's this one astronomer I love and his name was Carl Sagan. And geez he was a brilliant man, there are endless videos of him on YouTube and I could listen to them 24/7 and I wouldn't get tired of hearing him explain things about space. It was absolutely wonderful.

[helahades]

:ooooooooooooooooo

The atmosphere

This story is it’s own universe.

Im sooo in Love with Steve you write him so well and I love buckys role too

Steve is so comforting

Me when he breathes

You always write Steve so well you write one of my favorite Steve’s if not THE favorite

there are no words this was so good and the way you create visceral emotions and concepts that punch me in the face sksksks wowow

Mobster!Steve Rogers - Pt. III

Part I & Part II

WARNING: violence and abuse 

—————————

“Well, you’re being awfully quiet today…”

Steve snapped out of his thoughts. “Huh?”

His mother smiled, already knowing her son wasn’t listening to a word she was saying.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Stevie?”

“Nothing. Sorry, ma. I’m just tired.” He sighed.

But Sarah Rogers didn’t believe him one bit. “You sure it doesn’t have to do with that gal you took out the other week?”

Steve’s face scrunched in confusion, truly not realizing who she was talking about. Then it clicked. “Oh, Stacey? No. I wasn’t thinking – No, mom. She’s not the one for me.”

Sarah chuckled. “You say that about all them, you know.”

Steve’s bright blue eyes went distant. “Not all of them.”

Keep reading